Bears draft targets revealed + Cubs & Bulls facing big questions | Chicago Sports Tonight
Fox Chicago’s Cassie Carlson talks with Bears Beat Reporter for The REKAP and Roundtable Sports Nicholas Moreano to break down who the Bears should target with their early NFL Draft picks, whether a blockbuster move for Dexter Lawrence makes sense, and why one NFL player says Caleb Williams is already one of the league’s most feared QBs. Plus, Fox Sports’ Danny Parkins joins the show to discuss how the Cubs adjust without Cade Horton and what the latest front office changes mean for the Bulls’ future.
If you’re an NBA fan, you were treated to a classic night of NBA basketball on Tuesday.
The NBA Play-In Tournament had two thrillers. Portland beat Phoenix in a wild final minute, and Charlotte outlasted Miami in overtime.
Believe it or not, the Chicago Bulls were one of the biggest winners from Tuesday’s NBA Play-In Tournament results.
What we know:
Portland ended Phoenix’s season last night in the Play-In Tournament.
The Trail Blazers surged to a 114-110 comeback win over the Suns to clinch the seventh seed in the NBA Playoffs. Deni Avdija scored 41 points and put up a go-ahead 3-point play with 16.1 seconds left.
Portland came back from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Suns, which involved a stressful final two minutes.
Jerami Grant’s 3-point shot gave the Trail Blazers a 107-106 lead with 1:54 left in the game, but Devin Booker sank a pair of free throws for a 108-107 lead shortly after. Avdija’s first clutch basket put Portland back up 109-108 with 37.3 seconds left.
The craziness continued in the final minute.
Phoenix’s Jordan Goodwin gave the Suns another lead with a layup to make it 110-109 lead with 32 seconds left. That set up Avdija’s clutch three-point play, making a layup while getting fouled. He made the free throw for a 112-110 lead that helped seal the win.
The Trail Blazers won. But, so did the Bulls.
The backstory:
Back in 2021, the Chicago Bulls were gearing up for a rebuild under the Karnisovas and Eversely regime.
One of the biggest moves was sending forward Lauri Markkanen to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Markkanen, who was acquired in the 2017 NBA Draft after a draft-day trade that sent Jimmy Butler to Minnesota, saw his minutes diminish after the Bulls acquired Nikola Vucevic.
So, the Bulls executed a three-team trade with the Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers.
The Cavaliers got Markkanen. The Trail Blazers got Larry Nance Jr.
The Bulls got Derrick Jones Jr., Portland’s 2022 first-round pick and Denver’s second-round pick in 2023. Portland’s pick was lottery protected, however.
That meant if Portland’s first-round pick was in the lottery, it would not be converted to the Bulls. From the 2022 NBA Draft until the 2025 NBA Draft, Portland’s first-round picks were always a lottery pick.
That is, until this year.
Now, the Bulls get two first-round selections in a draft that’s being touted as one of the deepest and most talented drafts in recent memory.
What’s next:
The Bulls still need to hire a new front office, and that will obviously come first. But, in terms of the NBA Draft the Bulls will have the NBA Lottery in May.
That will determine where they pick in the top 15 picks of the draft.
According to the NBA, the Bulls have about a 20 percent chance of landing a pick in the top four selections of the draft and a four percent chance of landing the first-overall pick.
The Bulls now have four picks in the 2026 NBA Draft:
- The Bulls’ own first-round pick
- The Trail Blazers’ first-round pick
- The Celtics’ Second-Round Pick, acquired in the Nikola Vucevic trade.
- Another Second-Round Pick, the least favorable between Denver and Golden State’s selections.